The recent incident of a 20-year-old girl from the Northeast, who was allegedly raped by a man who offered her a lift from Gurgaon to her home in Mahipalpur came as a wake up call for many young girls in city. Despite the known fact about Delhi being unsafe, citing reasons of emergency or in a bid to save time and hassle to board a public transport, taking lift is still popular among youngsters, especially near the University area. But while they love the convenience of hitching a ride from a stranger, they also exercise their brand of conscious precautionary measures.
Tanishitta Sharma of Kamala Nehru College says, “As I commute daily from Greater Noida to the North Campus, one is not always lucky to get the bus on time. So, on those odd days, in a rush to reach college, I usually take lift from the DND Flyway. As it’s the main road, there are several call center cabs passing by. I take lift from one such cab and make sure there are other BPO employees in the cab. They are all educated working professionals and so I consider it safe.”
Agrees Devika Mittal, a Lady Shri Ram student, who has her own rules for hitching a ride. “I hitchhike only if it’s an emergency and there is absolutely no other alternative. I make sure that the person offering lift is genuine. I prefer to take lift from a woman driver. I send messages or call a friend/relative and inform them about my whereabouts. Also, I am constantly on the phone and keep them updated about my current location.
Sharing her dreadful experience, Deepti Varshney, a HR professional was mobbed while she offered a lift to a gentleman in his late 40s. “I was on my way to Gurgaon when I forgot my way. I stopped on the way to ask for directions. Rolling down the window, I asked a relatively old gentleman who mentioned he was heading the same way and will guide me. Considering his age, good language skills and decent look, I decided to offer him a ride. After a few km when we approached a lone stretch, he threatened me with a knife and robbed me of my valuables. I am so glad he didn’t harm me. Since then, I have decided not to give and ask for lift. It was one terrible experience, I am still shaken,” she says.
There are others who prefer to take lifts in a group. Charu Singh (name changed), an MBA student from Greater Noida, reveals, “We are group of four friends and have joined an internship at IHC in Delhi. So, travelling to and fro from Delhi to Greater Noida with bad transport facility gets slightly difficult. We also have boys in our group, so we sometime take lifts from a busy road like the Ring Road and avoid secluded or shady spots. We also sometimes request the car driver to take the route that we are familiar with.”
However, the Delhi police is not amused and warn against taking lifts at any time or situation. Anil Ojha, DCP South West, says, “It’s like asking for trouble. We have buses frequenting every five minutes at major bus stops and the Metro is functional till 11.30 pm. Indulging in taking a lift by a stranger is a risky and unsafe. This is first such case in my district, which calls for an instant action. I would advise people to make use of public transport, when it’s available to avoid such mishaps.”